Knitting machine



Jan. 1, 1929.

E. U. AMES KNITTING MACHINE Filed May 31, 1924 Patented Jan. 1,1929.

UNITE' ELMER U. AMES, 0}? COLLINGSWOODyNEW JERSEY.

PATN

KNITTING MACHINE.

Application filed. May 31,

My said invention relates to knitting machines and particularly to controlling means for the individual needles whereby the capacity for variation in operation of the machine is increased without interfering with other operations of the machine.

It is an object of the invention to provide means for controlling the individual needles with precision and certainty which. means shall be simple and not liable to get out of order. 7

Referring to the accompan ing drawings, which are made a part hereo and on which similar reference characters indicate similar parts,

Fig. 1 is a partial vertical section of a knitting machine,

F'gure 2, a plan view struction,

Figure 3, a vertical section of another modification, and

Figure 4, a plan View of a detail of Figure 3.

In the drawings reference character 10 indicates the frame of the machine on' which is mounted a stationary needle cylinder 11 havingslots for needles 12 which may be of any conventional or desirable type and are heldin place by spring rings 13 as usual. The slots of the needle cylinder adjacent their lower ends are made deeper so as to accomof detail of the conmodat-e, jacks 14 which in this instance are shown as having upright arms lying in the slots behind the lower or butt ends of the needles. Each jack also has a horizontal arm extending approximately perpendicular toi the upright arm. The jacks are held in place on the needle cylinder by a spring ring 14 in a manner substantially similar, to the needles whereby they may have rocking movement in the needle slots.

In the present embodiment of the invention during the greater part of the rotation of the machine and is only lowered at such a time as the needle cams approach. the particular rod and the needle and jack controlled thereby.

Each rod 18 in addition to the shoulder coacting with the cam 17 has a shoulder at 1924. "Serial No. 717,184.

the opposite side for engaging the horizontal arm of a corresponding jack, the heads of therods and the horlzontal arms of the jacks being preferably guided between projections 6 19 on a ring 20 onthe base 10' which form a comb for guiding all the jacks and the rods 18. At its lower end each rod is connected to a rockarm 21 forming one arm of a leverpivoted at 22 said arm being guided between the other arm of the lever referred to. The 7a two arms forming the lever may be loosely ournaled on a pivot at 22 or may be otherwise supported for pivotal movement on the frame of the knitting machine.

Each lever has a downward projection 27 7 adapted to enter openings 28 in a roller 29 unless prevented by a band 30 preferably made of paper which passes over the roller and which has perforations adapted to register with the openings 28. By reason of this construction it will be seen that as the cam ring revolves the rods 18 are held up during the greater part of each rotation by means of ring 16 but are loweredat each rotation to permit lugs 27 to engage with the band. 30

or to pass through the same if a perforation in the band happens to be opposite the opening 28 which is then uppermost. If desired a row of openings or a slot may extend longiwill fallso far as to permit the head of the rod to drag down the horizontal arm of the corresponding jack and. thus move the vertical arm outward. so as to move the butt of the needle into the-path of the needlescams on the ring, which cams are more specifically illustrated and described in my copending application Serial No. 717,182 of even date is indexed at eachrotation of the cam ring,

such operation being permitted by the lifting of the rods-18 which, as'has been stated, are held up during the major part of a rotation of the cam ring. v

- In the modified form shown in Figures 3 and 4 frame 10", a cylinder 11", and a cam ring 12", all as in Figures 1 and 2. The needle cylinder supports jacks which have ,tudinally of the roller 29. NVhen a lug passes 90 lnto'such an opening in the roller the lever herewith The roller carrying the paper band uprights arms and other arms extending at an angle to the body which angle, however, is

less than that in Figure 1. At the lower ends 7 of the inclined arms of jacks 33 there are a series of elements 34, one for each jack having slots receiving the lower ends ofthe jacks, said elements being slidably supported in combs on a. frame member 35 for which reason they will hereinafter be referred to as slides though they could obviously be supported for pivotal and lengthwise 'movement in other ways than that here shown. A ring 36 is secured to the frame and has projections 37 forming a comb for guiding the outer ends of the members 34. A ring 38 is secured to and revolves with the cam ring 12". The

' ring 38 has inclined cam faces at 39 and 4O on which the members 34 travel up and down,

rods 18, but are pivotally connected to rods 42.

i In the operation of the device last described the cam ring revolves about the stationary needle cylinder and the needles are out of enagement with the needle oprating cams as in igure 1 except when theyare flexed by the jacks so as to bring the needle butts into the path of the cams. It should be noted in this connection that the needles at their upper ends remain in the needle slots so as to vent entry of lintand dust. The mem ers 34 are maintained in elevated position at their rear ends as illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 3 by means of the horizontal ele vated part of the ring 38 and when in this position the jacks are idle. As the members 34 approach the position illustrated in Figure 5 they ride down the incline 40 so far as permitted by the pattern mechanism and if they are permitted to ride all the way down said incline, the ends of the jacks come into the path of the incline-4l whereby the members are advanced along radial lines so as to rock the jacks and throw their upper ends forward thereby moving the butts of the needles into the paths of the needle-cams. After the members 34 pass the high part of their projecting cam they next ride down the incline 41' and then up the incline39 where" they are again held in idle position during the remainder of the rotation of the cam ring. The band 30 is driven by the roller 29 or other convenient means which is indexed, i. e. turned step-by-step, by a ratchet or the likeacting directly on the roller 29 or on some part acting in timed relation therewith. It will be understood that this indexing mechanism acts during the time that the rods 18 or corresponding parts are held up by the horizontal part of their operating cam, whether this extends approximately all the I way around the cam ring or only a fraction thereof, as in machines with a plurality of feeds. When the rods 18 a-relowered the springs 24 willforce the lugs 27 into the openings 28, such action being somewhat assisted by gravity. I

Various efiorts'have been made to utilize jacquard mechanism in connectionkwith knitting machines having independent needles; In some cases the wheelor other rotary element supportin the card or band of the jacquard has ha a revolving motion and also a movement at right-angles to its axis of rotation, the wheel moving bodily toward. the ends of the needles or jacks so as to push up such needles or jacks as did not have corresponding holes in the belt or card. Such mechanisms are very destructive to the jacquard belt or card, In my arrangement the card or belt only selects the jacks and needles and the. cams do the work of raising the needles so that if a needle works hard it will not damage the paper as the tension of the spring 24 is the greatest pressure that ever comes on the paper.

As above stated the devices illustrated may be used in machines of various types and in various ways. The necessar modifications for such purposes will be 0 vious' to those skilled in the art and therefore I do not limit myself to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification but only as indicated' in the appended claims. I do not limit myself to the use of jacquard mechanism .per se for controlling the jacks and through them the needles of my machine, but may use pattioned to engage an arm of a jack to rock the jack and thereby bring its needle into range of a needle cam, a pattern form serving to control selectively the engagement of said shoulders and said arms, and a cam moving in timed relation with the needle cams said cam engaging another shoulder on each of said rods for normally preventing engagement of said first-named shoulders and said arms.

2. In a knitting machine, a base, a'stationary slotted needle cylinder on saidbase, normally-idle needles in the slots of the cylinder, rocking jacks having angularly related arms one of which lies back of a needle, rods extending up through the needle bed each rod having shoulders one of which is positioned to engage an arm of a jack to rock the jack and thereby bring its needlei'nto'range of a needle cam, a pattern form at one side of the needle cylinder said form movable about a horizontal axis, a series of levers pivoted respectively to individual rods said levers fulcrumed at the side of said form remote from said needle cylinder and having lugs to enter holes in the form, resilient means for moving said levers to cause said lugs to engage openings in said form, a cam moving in timed relation with the needle cams said cam engaging another shoulder on each of said rods for normally preventing engagement between said first-named shoulders and the arms operated thereby.

3. In a knitting machine, a needle bed, needle "cams, a normally-idle needle slidable in said bed, a jack having an arm behind the needle and an arm projecting therefrom, a cam movable with the needle cams, a T- shaped rod having a shoulder for engaging the jack to rock the same and move the needle toward a needle-cam and another shoulder for engaging said cam to be normally supported thereby out of operative relation to said jack, a band having pattern openings therein, and a lever pivoted to said rod said lever having a lug adapted to enter an opening in the band when said rod is lowered by said rod-supporting cam.

4. In a circular knitting machine, a stationary slotted needle cylinder, a series of normally-idle independent needles therein, rotary needle cams, a series of elbow-shaped rocking jacks each having one arm lying 1n a needle slot hack of the shank of the needle in said needle slot and another arm extending radially of the cylinder, a set of rods each having a shoulder positioned to engage the radial arm of a jack for rocking the same to bring the corresponding needle into reach of a needle cam, a cam rotating with the needle cams said cam engaging another shoulder on each rod during a part of a rota- 'tion to prevent engagement of the first-nanied shoulder with its jack, a perforated pattern band, a set of levers each connected to a rod of said set, a lug on each lever shaped to pass through perforations in said pattern band, and resilient means acting to move the levers in a direction for engaging the lugs with the pattern band and the first-named shoulders with the corresponding jacks.

'5. In a knitting machine, a needle cylinder and a cam ring having relative rotation, a set of needles in the slots of the cylinder, a set of rocking jacks having arms lying behind the needle shanks and mechanism operating on the jacks selectively to control the positionof the needles relatively to the cams said mechanism including a traveling perforated pattern, a series of levers each pivoted at a pointremote from the needle cylinder and each having an arm extending over said pattern toward said cylinder, lugs on said arms for entering perforations in said pattern, means acting on the arms nearest the cylinder for normally holding said lugs away from the pattern, and individual springs acting on the other arm ofeach lever in opposition to said means.

(3. In a knitting machine, a needle bed, a needle cam, a normally-idle needle slidable in said bed, a rocking jack having an arm behind the needle and an arm projecting therefrom, a cam movable with the needle cam, a rod having a head for engaging the projectin g arm of the jack to rock the same and move the needle toward the needle cam, a band having pattern openings therein, a lever pivoted to said rod said lever having a lug adapted to enter an opening in the band, said head also being positioned to be engaged by said se'condmentioned cam for elevating said lug above said band.

7 In a knitting machine, a needle bed, a needle cam, a jack, a cam movable With the needle cam, a rod having a head for engaging the jack to move the needle toward operating relation With the neodlecam, a band having pattern openings, a lever pivotally connected to said rod saidlever having a lug to enter an opening in the band, said head also being positioned to be engaged by said second mentioncd cam ior holding said lug away from said band.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this 15th day of May, A. D. nineteen hundred and twenty-four.

ELMER U. AMES. 

